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Who is Paul McCartney’s musician son, James McCartney? He shunned the spotlight for years, but just joined The Beatles legend to watch his sister Stella McCartney’s show at Paris Fashion Week

James McCartney and his dad Sir Paul McCartney are both musicians. Photo: Getty Images

Paul McCartney’s lesser-known son James just made a rare appearance in support of his sister Stella McCartney at Paris Fashion Week on March 4.

James McCartney recently posted several sweet photos of his family supporting sister Stella McCartney in Paris. Photo: @jamesmccartneyofficial/Instagram
The 46-year-old was joined by his father, who sat in the front row alongside Paris Jackson and The Beatles’ Ringo Starr for the exclusive event. Paul’s daughter Mary and his wife Nancy Shevell were also in attendance.
James McCartney with his older sister Mary Anna McCartney. Photo: @jamesmccartneyofficial/Instagram

James McCartney has shunned the spotlight for years, and although he has followed in his father’s footsteps by pursuing a career in music, he still remains very low-key in comparison to other members of his famous family.

Sir Paul McCartney and James McCartney fell out for a while after the former Beatle remarried, but have since patched things up. Photo: Getty Images

Here’s everything we know about him:

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James McCartney is Paul McCartney’s only son

James McCartney gets a kiss from his father Paul McCartney at Paris Fashion Week this March. Photo: @jamesmccartneyofficial/Instagram

Born on September 12, 1977, James Louis McCartney is the only son of The Beatles legend and his late wife, Linda McCartney.

How many children does Paul McCartney have?

Paul McCartney and his fashion designer daughter Stella McCartney. Photo: People Avenue/Corbis

Paul McCartney has five children: Heather, Mary, Stella, James and Beatrice. When he married his first wife Linda McCartney, he adopted her daughter Heather, from a previous marriage, per People. The couple went on to have three more children, Mary, Stella and James. Linda – a well known musician, photographer and animal rights activist – died of breast cancer in 1998.

McCartney had his youngest child, Beatrice, in 2003, with his now-ex-wife Heather Mills. The 81-year-old dad of five has been married to his current wife, 64-year-old Nancy Shevell, since 2011.

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What does James McCartney do for a living?

James McCartney performs on stage as part of his Marshmallow Maiden US tour in 2017. Photo: @jamesmccartneyofficial/Instagram

James is a singer-songwriter and musician just like his father. Some of his most popular songs on Spotify include “Old Man”, “Angel” and “Waterfall”.

His 2013 album, Me, was co-produced by Paul McCartney, and James has also played instruments on some of his dad’s albums too, including Flaming Pie and Driving Rain.

In an interview with BBC Breakfast in 2013, James was asked whether he’d felt any pressure around the release of his music, considering his musical heritage.

“I never really thought of it like that,” he said. “I thought, I’m not going to be oppressed by certain things, I am just going to carry on and do my own thing.”

He’s very private – and once worked as a waiter

Just like his famous father, James McCartney is also a multi-instrumentalist. Photo: @jamesmccartneyofficial/Instagram

While his siblings have become big names in their own right in the fields of fashion (Stella) and photography (Mary Anna), James has managed to retain a relatively low profile away from the spotlight.

Back in 2012, London newspaper The Standard reported that James was so unstarry that he was “working as a waiter to make ends meet”. The article also described him as “shy, deeply introspective” and “quiet and unassuming”.

It seems he’s come out of his shell a little since then, and is now more willing to mingle with A-listers at high-profile events like his sister’s recent fashion show.

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What is the relationship between James and Paul McCartney?

James McCartney and Paul McCartney leaving the Late Show with David Letterman together in New York in 2013. Photo: Getty Images

It seems the father-son duo have mended their relationship since rumours of a falling-out between them in the late 1990s and early 2000s. According to British media, James and Paul became estranged when The Beatles singer began dating his second wife Heather in 1999, only a year after the death of James’ mum Linda in 1998.

“It was a difficult time. Dad was married to Heather and we didn’t get on,” James told the Irish Mirror in 2013. “I don’t have a problem with Heather now because she is [stepsister] Beatrice’s mum, but at the time it was difficult for me.”

A young James McCartney. Photo: @jamesmccartneyofficial/Instagram

“We drifted quite far apart, it was a difficult period. It was a coming of age for me. I had to strike out on my own and I needed a bit of time to grieve my mum’s death,” he shared in his interview.

Per the same source, James began to rekindle their relationship when he found out his father was encountering some health problems in 2007.

  • Paul McCartney’s only son, 46-year-old James, just made a rare appearance in support of his sister Stella McCartney at Paris Fashion Week
  • James McCartney has shunned the spotlight for years, and although he has followed in his father’s footsteps by pursuing a career in music, he remains low-key compared to his siblings